


All In

by FairyTaleAdventures



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23497762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyTaleAdventures/pseuds/FairyTaleAdventures
Summary: "I don't think I am the best person to come to for advice on this,” Neil said. “Dr. Lim is no longer in love with me.""Yes she is," Shaun replied.Neil glanced at Dr. Park who simply threw his hands up in surrender. Turning his attention back to Shaun he replied, "Dr. Lim and I broke up months ago, remember?""Yes I remember. But just because you are no longer in a relationship with a person doesn't mean you stop loving them."________________________I received a request to do something with the line "how did you make Dr.Lim fall in love with you” and I just kind of went with it. To the person who left this request: this is probably nothing like you were expecting, but I hope it humours you either way. Happy reading!
Relationships: Audrey Lim/Neil Melendez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	All In

Neil's eyes were glued to his tablet as he skilfully navigated the halls of St. Bonaventure. While St. Bonaventure was a rather large hospital, after many years spent roaming the building, often while distracted, as a result, he had unconsciously mapped out the entire blueprints in the back of his mind. He became an expert at fixating his attention on his device, while skilfully dancing around any oncoming traffic, avoiding all interruptions. 

Currently, he was engaged in a particularly challenging case. It was one of those cases where it should follow a basic surgical plan. There was a routine to be emulated and if done correctly, no problems should arise. But this was not the case. There was something he was missing and no matter how many times he reran the tests or tried a different course of approach, every time he rehearsed the operation in a simulated environment, the surgical dummy always coded.

He needed Shaun. There was something about the way the young surgeon could map out a problem in the back of his mind and see things that Neil didn’t have the unique hardwiring to see, that always left him astounded. 

Arriving at the Emergency Room, it didn't take Neil long to spot Shaun tucked away in the corner of the unusually empty department, attending to a patient whose identity was hidden by the closed curtains. As he approached, he also heard the faint sound of Audrey's voice giving instructions. Presuming it was best to give the patient privacy, he casually waited off to the side, turning his attention back to his tablet. 

It wasn't until Neil peeked behind the curtains a few minutes later that he realised Audrey was the patient. Amongst the many open files she had spread out on the portable table in front of her, she had an IV inserted into one of her arms and an adjoining heart rate monitor attached to her index finger.

Neil opened the curtains revealing his presence. 

"Dr. Lim?" He asked, confused. "What are you doing down here?" 

The pair simultaneously looked up. Audrey glanced at the IV in her arm for a brief second before offering him a sheepish smile.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” she assured. When he responded with an unconvinced look, she added, “I promise I’m okay.”

Just because their relationship was nothing more than friendly, this didn’t mean he had stopped caring about her. As a result of her near death experience that previous Christmas, her immune system had been severely weakened. While she had recovered to almost complete respiratory function and worked diligently to get herself back into superior condition, she would never fully return to where she was before the incident. 

It was a delicate subject. When they were a couple, they had had many conversations about her health, many of which resulted in an argument. He could remember their first one clearly. Reckless is the exact word he had called her. She had rolled her eyes in response and told him he was being overprotective and demanded he give her some space. He did just that. That was the first night in weeks they had intentionally slept apart. 

It was a miserable night for the both of them. They had regretted the decision almost immediately. As a result, their dispute didn't last long, as they ended up reconciling the next morning and had an open and honest conversation regarding the sensitive topic. Together, they discussed the barriers and possible signs to look out for in case any symptoms arose. Consequently, Neil had unconsciously conditioned himself to keep an eye out for any of the signs in case of a possible relapse. 

Neil mentally chastised himself for letting his guard down. 

But he knew better than to push the subject and therefore by default, accepted her response. “Okay, but let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” She turned her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. 

“Dr. Murphy,” Neil addressed. "I'm actually here for you. I was hoping you would assist Dr. Park and myself on a case later this afternoon."

"What's the case?" 

Neil provided Shaun with a brief overview of his upcoming surgery along with his patient's statistics and where within the simulated surgery the patient would reach cardiopulmonary arrest. With the proposition of getting to solve a problem and the promise of being able to scrub in to assist on the surgery, Shaun enthusiastically agreed to help.

oOo

In preparation for his long afternoon of research, Neil took advantage of the moment of solitude to stop by the cafeteria to grab some fuel. 

Tray filled with his favourite sandwich and a hot cup of coffee, he found himself an empty table and pulled out his tablet once more. 

He considered taking a look at Audrey’s file. If she was receiving treatment, her information was guaranteed to be on the hospital's computer system. He typed her name into the search engine but cancelled the request before it had time to load. His name would be linked to her file, notifying her that he had accessed it, and he was not about to do anything that would jeopardise the months of reparations they had undergone to restore their trust. 

Besides, he was certain if there was something worth mentioning, she would tell him once she was ready. 

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he busied himself with some paperwork before making his way back to the Emergency Room where Shaun had just finished removing the IV from Audrey’s arm and replaced it with a small band-aid. 

“Dr. Lim, I brought you a steaming cup of ginger tea." He announced, holding out the paper cup which had the hospital's logo printed on the side. She cautiously took it from his hands.

"But I hate ginger tea." He was more than well aware of this fact.

"Yes, but it's got a ton of disease-fighting antioxidants. Something I'm sure could be beneficial to you today."

Audrey's face visibly softened, a grateful smile playing upon her face. 

"Thank you."

"Interesting," Shaun said, motioning to remove the heart rate monitor from Audrey's finger. 

Neil and Audrey shared an identical look of confusion before turning their attention back to Shaun. 

"Something you would like to share, Dr. Murphy?" Neil asked. 

"No" was his simple response. 

"Very well then," Audrey began, unravelling the sleeve to her blouse. ”Thank you, Dr. Murphy for your time. I'll leave you both to get started on your case." She grabbed the pile of documents before making her exit, Neil watching after her as she walked down the hallway. 

"Should we get started on the case?"

Neil cleared his throat and turned his attention to Shaun. 

"After you." 

oOo

Textbooks open and sprawled out unceremoniously upon the conference room table, Neil and Shaun, accompanied by Dr. Park, were nowhere near solving their problem. These exploration sessions were typically lengthy and often stressful, but Neil had to admit, he always enjoyed the development that resulted in them. Over the course of his surgical years, he had found that more often than not, the best ideas progressed in situations where a group of medical specialists let their intelligence and creativity of the craft mingle as they bounced ideas off one another until they achieved a solution.

Neil just wished they could skip to the part where a solution was achieved. 

Audibly closing the textbook in front of him, he pushed the book away from him rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. It had been three hours of nonstop reading and the words on the page had begun to merge together to look more like hieroglyphics rather than the English Language.

"Take a break you guys,” Neil insisted. “We’ve been at it for hours.”

There was a collective sigh as the three of them took a step back from their work. 

“Dr. Melendez, now that we are taking a break from the case can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

"How did you make Dr. Lim fall in love with you, after you had been friends for so long?" 

Neil was caught off guard. It wasn't often Shaun approached him with personal matters. He assumed these conversations typically took place between him and the other residents, but he figured his relationship with Audrey was one Shaun could see himself relating to. 

He had a general idea regarding Shaun’s current relationship dilemma. To the annoyance of Neil, it was difficult to find a sense of privacy within a team that consisted of such few people. Once one person knew your personal business, it wasn’t long before the gossip spread and sooner than not, the entire team knew. He didn’t particularly enjoy having his personal affairs on display which is why he tended to keep his private life just that. 

“I don’t think it’s that easy Shaun,” Dr. Park cut in, saving Neil from a potentially uncomfortable conversation. 

"Plus I don't think I am the best person to come to for advice on this,” Neil said. “Dr. Lim is no longer in love with me."

"Yes she is," Shaun replied.

Neil glanced at Dr. Park who simply threw his hands up in surrender. Turning his attention back to Shaun he replied, "Dr. Lim and I broke up months ago, remember?" 

"Yes I remember. But just because you are no longer in a relationship with a person doesn't mean you stop loving them."

Neil took a moment to consider this statement. It's not that Neil didn’t want to believe Shaun, it’s that he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He and Audrey had finally found a way to go back to being friends after their relationship had ended prematurely. They were finally at a place where they could simultaneously work on cases or enjoy an after hours drink without any interruption of feelings or disputes. It took some trial and error, but they built a new foundation and navigated their working relationship to where they could perform in relation with her as the Chief. 

But now that they had come to an understanding and spent some time in their new roles, maybe it was time they gave their romantic relationship another chance. 

The simple idea of her potentially still being in love with him, made his heart flutter in excitement, and that very reason on its own was motivation enough to pry.

“Shaun, care to explain why you think Dr. Lim is still in love with me?”

“This morning when you walked up to Dr. Lim and I in the Emergency Room her heart rate increased significantly.”

“I'm sure it was just a coincidence.”

“It happened again when you brought her tea. That's not a coincidence. Plus her pupils were dilated and Claire taught me that pupil dilation is a sign of being in love."

There had been many times that Shaun was able to render Neil speechless but he never thought one of those times would ever involve information regarding his relationship with Audrey.

“Maybe we should get back to the case,” Dr. Park suggested. 

Neil could feel his face redden and silently prayed that Claire had not taught him the meaning behind such involuntary action. 

“I agree.” 

A flash of disappointment appeared on Shaun’s face, but it disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. 

oOo

It took two pots of coffee and most of their evening, but eventually, his team found a solution to their predicament, just as Neil knew they would once they started to let their ideas flow. Initially, it was Dr. Park who came up with the idea. By taking a step back from the extrinsic information and bringing the focus back on the basics, he was able to unknowingly guide Shaun through a visualisation process that brought upon the key to the answer they had been missing. 

Much to their relief, they were able to successfully perform the surgery in a simulation environment without any complications, and the sense of accomplishment was running high as they made the final preparations so the surgery could take place that following morning. 

Neil wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline coursing through his veins or the reminder of Shaun’s words still vivid in the back of his mind, but as he was leaving the building later that evening, he found himself standing outside Audrey’s office door.

He had to admit, Shaun’s words had had an effect on him. While he didn’t completely believe that Audrey’s behaviour was a direct result of love, he would be lying if he said he didn’t still feel the longing and adoration between them. And things were different now. They had given each other the space they needed to grow and explore their new rolls apart from one another. They had found a rhythm, one that seemed to be working well, despite their initial challenges.

Not pausing to second guess himself, he knocked on her door, before letting himself in.

As she turned her focus away from her computer screen, her face brightened at his presence, prompting his heart rate to speed up. 

“Hey,” she greeted. “I take it by your expression that the strategy session went well.”

“Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

“I never doubted your team,” she praised honestly. “Do you need me to sign off on it?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I am here.”

“Alright” She closed the lid to her laptop and stood. “Why are you here?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner.” He took a step closer to her, just out of arm's reach. “You know, somewhere nice, just the two of us.”

He could tell by the way here eyes darted to the window before looking back at him that he had caught her off guard. 

“I-I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

He could understand her hesitation. They hadn’t brought up the state of their relationship since their initial break up. He wasn’t even sure if they had been intentionally putting it off or if it was just a topic neither of them knew how to bring up, but it was a conversation that had been hanging heavily in the air. He could feel it during their late night talks over drinks when her eyes would linger on his for a moment too long or he would accidentally brush his leg up against hers. 

One of them had to be willing to take the plunge. He decided it would be him.

“I still love you,” he confessed. “And I have a feeling that you might feel the same way.” He caught her gaze, looking for confirmation he was right and was relieved when he found it hidden in the back of her eyes. 

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t still have feelings for you,” She responded her voice airy and distracted the way it typically was when she was still trying to find the right words to say. 

“Good. This is a start.”

“But I don’t know if we’re ready to start a relationship again. We’re in a good place.”

“You’re it for me, Audrey. I have had months to think it over and go back to a life of going home to an empty house wishing for nothing more than to have you there with me.” His words escaped in a rush and he silently hoped she couldn’t tell he had spent time rehearsing them in his head. He took another step closer to her. “I want to be with you. All in.”

With a nervous grin, she reached out and grabbed his hand. 

“Okay,” a pause. “All in.”

When their eyes met, they were wearing matching smiles. 

“So dinner this weekend?” He asked hopefully. 

“Only if it’s at my favourite Italian restaurant.”

“Deal.”

He was not sure what conclusion to draw from their conversation. Though there was still so much uncertainty that remained between them, they were now one step closer to one another. And that idea alone was enough for now. 

“Goodnight Audrey.”

“Goodnight Neil.”


End file.
